ORIGINAL PAPER

A 2-year aeropalynological survey of allergenic pollenin the atmosphere of Kastamonu, Turkey

Talip Ceter • N. M. Pinar • Kerim Guney •

Atila Yildiz • Barıs Ascı • Matt Smith

Received: 19 March 2011 / Accepted: 17 November 2011 / Published online: 26 November 2011

� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract Knowledge of airborne pollen concentra-

tions and the weather conditions influencing them is

important for air quality forecasters, allergists and

allergy sufferers. For this reason, a 7-day recording

volumetric spore trap of the Hirst design was used for

pollen monitoring between January 2006 and Decem-

ber 2007 in Kastamonu, Turkey. A total of 293,427

pollen grains belonging to 51 taxa were recorded

during the study period. In the 2 years of study, the

period March–August was identified as the main

pollination season for Kastamonu. The highest

monthly pollen counts were observed in May in both

years. Six taxa made up 86.5% of the total amount of

pollen recorded in the atmosphere of Kastamonu.

These were as follows: Pinaceae (42.9%), Cupressa-

ceae (20.6%), Poaceae (9.7%), Quercus (5.5%) Betula

(5.3%) and Carpinus (2.6%). Four of these are

considered to be highly allergenic (Betula, Carpinus,

Cupressaceae and Poaceae). There were also a greater

percentage of highly allergenic taxa found within the

city, including Betula pendula that is not part of the

local flora. This shows that through urban planting, the

public and municipalities can unconsciously create a

high risk for allergy sufferers. Daily average pollen

counts from the six most frequently recorded pollen

types were entered into Spearman’s correlation anal-

ysis with meteorological data. Mean daily tempera-

ture, relative humidity, daily rainfall and wind speed

were found to significantly (p \ 0.05) affect atmo-

spheric pollen concentrations, but the relationships

between pollen concentrations and meteorological

variables can vary and so there is a need for more local

studies of this nature.

Keywords Aerobiology � Pollen calendar �Correlation analysis � Vegetation survey � Allergy

1 Introduction

Pollen grains from wind-pollinated, anemophilous,

plants are the most important source of allergens in the

atmosphere. According to recent researches, the

prevalence of pollen allergy in Europe is estimated

to be about 40% (D’Amato et al. 2007). Atmospheric

pollen grains trigger allergic attacks such as rhinitis

and asthma in atopic individuals. Many studies have

T. Ceter (&) � K. Guney

Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences,

Kastamonu University, 37100 Kastamonu, Turkey

e-mail: talipceter@gmail.com; tceter@kastamonu.edu.tr

T. Ceter � N. M. Pinar � A. Yildiz

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara

University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey

B. AscıHakkari Health Services Vocational School, Hakkari

University, 30000 Hakkari, Turkey

M. Smith

National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit,

University of Worcester, Henwick Road, Worcester WR2

6AJ, UK

123

Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

DOI 10.1007/s10453-011-9240-0

therefore examined the relationship between airborne

pollen concentrations and allergy (Altintas et al. 2004;

Ozturk et al. 2004; Celik et al. 2005; Dursun et al.

2008; Ribeiro et al. 2009; Can et al. 2010).

Pollen grains are seasonal aeroallergens but can be

found in the atmosphere almost all year round in

certain biogeographical regions due to differences in

the pollination periods of plants. The pollen content of

the atmosphere varies according local flora, climate,

meteorological factors and the season (Bush 1989; Jato

et al. 2002; Gioulekas et al. 2004). After setting up a

pollen-monitoring site, one of the first tasks undertaken

by the operator is to produce a calendar that describes

the seasonal variations in atmospheric pollen recorded

at the location. Such pollen calendars have been

prepared for many cities in Turkey (Ince 1994;

Inceoglu et al. 1994; Pehlivan and Butev 1994;

Guvensen and Ozturk 2003; Ayvaz et al. 2008; Celenk

et al. 2010; Erkan et al. 2010) and elsewhere (Nilsson

et al. 1977; Goldberg et al. 1988; Dreissen and Derksen

1989; Subiza et al. 1995; Recio et al. 1998; Dvorin et al.

2001; Abreu et al. 2003; Boral et al. 2004; Weryszko-

Chmielewska and Piotrowska 2004; Docampo et al.

2007; Piotrowska and Weryszko-Chmielewska 2006).

The uniqueness of this study is that it presents the

first results of pollen monitoring undertaken at Kas-

tamonu in Turkey, which is of interest to aerobiolo-

gists as well as professionals working in fields such as

medicine and public health. A pollen calendar show-

ing weekly average pollen counts (2006–2007 mean)

has been prepared, with particular emphasis on those

taxa considered to be important aeroallergens. The

authors also examine the influence of meteorological

factors on daily concentrations of airborne pollen

recorded at the site.

2 Materials and methods

2.1 Site information

Kastamonu is situated in the Black Sea region in the

North of Turkey (41�210 N, 46�330 E), altitude 775 m

above sea level (Fig. 1). The city is situated in the

valley of the Karacomak River, lying in a north–south

direction. The east and west slopes of the valley are

predominantly covered by pine-juniper forest. The

south of the city is dominated by riparian vegetation

such as poplar and willow. The north side of the city is

enclosed with cultivated lowland. Vegetation of the

Ilgaz, Ballıdag and Kure Mountains (15–30 km from

the city) varies according to elevation and orientation

of the slopes.

The Kure and Ballıdag Mountains have the Euxin

flora of the Euro-Siberian phyto-geographical region,

which is dominated by the following forest types:

Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) 200–360 m, horn-

beam-Sessile oak (Carpinus betulus-Quercus petraea)

200–1,000 m and oriental beech (Fagus orientalis)

130–720 m. Mixed deciduous forests of different tree

species are developed on karstic limestones (Carpinus

betulus, Corylus avellana, C. colurna, Fagus orien-

talis, Fraxinus angsutifolia, Ostrya carpinifolia, Pis-

tacia atlantica, Quercus spp. and Tilia rubra) and

subflora of these forests dominated by typical species

include Daphne pontica, Lilium martagon, Polygon-

atum multiflorum, Ruscus hypoglossum, Salvia fors-

kahlei and many more species. The flora of high

elevations between 1,300–1,700 m of these mountains

is dominated by fir or mixed fir forests (Abies

nordmanniana spp. Bornmuelleriana).

The flora on the south facing slopes of these

mountains is under the influence of a drier and cooler

continental climate. Sessile oak (Quercus petraea spp.

Iberica) and black pine (Pinus nigra spp. pallasiana)

are dominant and are accompanied by A. nordmanni-

ana spp. bornmuelleriana and Pinus sylvestris com-

munities at higher elevations. Further inland the forest

structure continues with pure black pine forest and

mixtures of black pine and Sessile oak. Oaks comprise

one of the most important deciduous trees. In addition,

Juglans regia, Platanus orientalis, Pinus nigra, Cu-

pressus arizonica, Populus sp., Acer pseudoplatanus,

Acer negundo, Salix sp., Morus alba, Morus nigra,

Betula pendula, Thuja orientalis, Juniperus communis,

Juniperus oxicedrus, Fraxinus ornus Fraxinus

Fig. 1 Location of the pollen-monitoring site at Kastamonu,

Turkey

356 Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

123

excelsior Cedrus libani, Picea orientalis, Picea pun-

gens and Malus sylvestris are frequently seen in the

parks and gardens of the city. Also in the agricultural

land, wheat, maize, rice, vegetables, and in orchards

and vineyards, apples, quinces, morellos, walnut and

plums are cultivated (Vural 2003; Ceter et al. 2008).

2.2 Aeropalynological survey

Pollen data were collected using a 7-day recording

volumetric spore trap of the Hirst design (Hirst 1952).

The trap was placed on the roof of the Karadere Forest

District Directorate building in the centre of Kasta-

monu at a height of 7 m above ground level (Fig. 1).

Atmospheric sampling and analysis followed the

method described by the Spanish Aerobiological

Network (REA) (Galan et al. 2007). Pollen counts

were converted into daily average concentrations

(grains/m3). The amount of pollen recorded weekly,

monthly and annually is also presented.

Various methods for defining the start of the main

pollen season (MPS) have been described in the

literature (Jato et al. 2006). These techniques eliminate

the long tails of low values at the start and the end of

the seasons that may introduce bias to the results

during statistical analysis (Sanchez-Mesa et al. 2003).

The method chosen for defining the limits of the

season often depends on the site, pollen type and

amount of pollen in the air. In this study, it was

decided to use the 98% method (Emberlin et al. 1993),

whereby the start of the MPS is defined as the day

when 1% of the season’s catch had been recorded and

the end occurs when 99% of the total catch had been

reached.

2.3 Vegetation survey

In addition to this aeropalynological survey, field work

was simultaneously carried out in the public parks and

gardens in the city centre and natural or cultivated

vegetation areas 40 km around the city. The vegeta-

tion survey was carried out during the main pollination

period, and plant samples were identified. The degree

of allergenicity of identified plant taxa (and pollen

grains from these taxa recorded during the study) was

classified according to information found in literature

(Jelks 1987; Grant-Smith 1990; Mothes et al. 2004;

Sulmont and Reseau National de Surveillance Aero-

biologique (RNSA) CD 2005; D’Amato et al. 2007;

Sin et al. 2007). The following categories were

identified as follows: (1) highly allergenic taxa, (2)

moderately allergenic taxa, (3) low allergenic taxa.

2.4 Meteorological data

Daily and monthly mean meteorological data (mean

daily temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and

wind speed) were obtained from the bulletin of the

meteorological station located at the centre of

Kastamonu.

2.5 Statistical analysis

Daily average pollen counts from the six most

frequently recorded pollen types (Pinaceae, Cupress-

aceae, Poaceae, Quercus, Betula and Carpinus) were

entered into Spearman’s correlation analysis with

meteorological data (mean daily temperature, relative

humidity, precipitation and wind speed). Correlation

analyses were only carried out on data recorded during

the MPS (98% method). The statistical tests were

performed using the statistical software package SPSS

version 19.0 (SPSS—Chicago, Illinois, USA).

3 Results

The lowest temperatures recorded in Kastamonu

during the study period were in December, January

and February, whereas the warmest month in both

years was August. There was also a summer maximum

in precipitation, with the most rainfall recorded in June

in both 2006 and 2007 even though relative humidity

was generally lower in the summer months (Table 1).

The pollen calendar for Kastamonu showing average

weekly pollen counts (2006–2007 mean) is presented

(Fig. 2). Note that highly allergenic taxa are in black,

moderately allergenic taxa are grey and low allergenic

taxa are depicted using a pattern. In the 2 years of study,

the period March–August was identified as the main

pollination season for Kastamonu (Fig. 2).

A total of 293,427 pollen grains belonging to 51

taxa were recorded at Kastamonu during the study

period. In 2006, 154,721 pollen grains belonging to 43

taxa were identified and counted. In 2007, the total

number of pollen grains recorded was 138,706 from 46

taxa. Over the 2-year study period, pollen grains from

woody perennials (trees) were the largest contributors

Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366 357

123

to the airborne catch (85.4%), followed by grasses

(Poaceae) (9.7%) and then weeds (4.9%) (Fig. 3;

Table 2). In addition, just six taxa made up 86.5% of

the total amount of pollen recorded in the atmosphere

of Kastamonu. These were Pinaceae (42.9%), Cu-

pressaceae (20.6%), Poaceae (9.7%), Quercus (5.5%)

Betula (5.3%) and Carpinus (2.6%) (Table 2).

The highest total monthly pollen counts were

recorded in May in both 2006 and 2007. Closer

examination of the data showed that the highest peaks

in pollen from trees occurred towards the end of May

in both years (about week 20), which coincided with

peak concentrations of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae

pollen. Poaceae pollen concentrations also peaked at

this time (weeks, 20–21) (Figs. 2, 4).

The taxa with pollen identified in the atmosphere of

Kastamonu were divided into three groups: trees, weeds

and grasses (Figs. 2, 5). The most common tree taxa are

Betula, Carpinus, Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Fagus, Pin-

aceae, Quercus, Rosaceae, Salix, Populus and Faba-

ceae. The most common weed taxa are Apiaceae,

Artemisia, Asteraceae, Carex, Chenopodiaceae, Cru-

ciferae, Plantago Urticaceae and Rumex. Grasses are

those plants belonging to the Poaceae family.

Field work resulted in a total of 76 plant taxa being

indentified in parks and gardens of the city centre and

251 taxa being identified in natural and cultivated

areas surrounding the city. Of the plant taxa identified

in the public parks and gardens in the city centre, 39

taxa were classified as highly allergenic (51%), 23

moderately allergenic (30%) and 14 taxa had low

allergenic potential (19%). Of the plant taxa from

natural and cultivated areas outside the city, 83 were

classified highly allergenic (33%), 38 were moderately

allergenic (15%) and 130 were low allergenic plants

(52%).

There were a number of significant correlations

(p \ 0.05) between daily average pollen counts from the

six most frequently recorded taxa and meteorological

data (Table 3). There were significant positive correla-

tions between daily average Cupressaceae, Poaceae and

Quercus pollen counts and mean daily wind speed. There

were also significant positive correlations between daily

average Cupressaceae and Quercus pollen counts and

mean daily temperatures. However, for Pinaceae and

Poaceae, there was an opposite relationship with

temperature (a significant negative correlation was noted

between daily average Pinaceae and Poaceae pollen

counts and mean daily temperature). Significant negative

correlations were also witnessed between daily average

Betula and Quercus pollen counts and rainfall. The

influence of mean daily relative humidity also varied;

there was a significant positive correlation with daily

average Pinaceae and Poaceae pollen counts and a

significant negative correlation with daily average

Quercus pollen counts. There were no significant

correlations between Carpinus pollen counts and any

of the meteorological variables entered into the analysis.

4 Discussion

This paper presents the first detailed investigation of

temporal variations in atmospheric pollen (pollen

calendar) for Kastamonu (Fig. 2). Pollen counts can

also vary spatially, which is shown by comparing the

results presented here with similar studies conducted

by other authors working in Turkey (Inceoglu et al.

1994; Guvensen and Ozturk 2003; Ayvaz et al. 2008;

Celenk et al. 2010; Erkan et al. 2010).

Inceoglu et al. (1994) observed pollen of 47 taxa in

the atmosphere of Ankara that is located in Central

Table 1 Mean monthly meteorological data recorded at Kastamonu (2006–2007)

Year Meteorological data I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII

2006 Mean temperature (�C) -1.9 -0.6 5.5 10.5 13.9 18.5 19.6 23.7 15.8 12.0 3.5 -0.2

Total precipitation (mm) 23.9 41.8 32.0 11.3 45.0 57.3 7.0 3.3 45.8 32.6 35.2 13.8

Mean relative humidity (%) 72.0 76.5 63.7 59.4 61.2 61.4 52.9 50.0 63.1 70.2 74.3 72.8

Mean wind velocity (m/s) 0.8 0.5 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.8

2007 Mean temperature (�C) 0.4 0.3 4.8 6.3 17.0 18.9 21.9 22.2 17.2 13.2 3.2 0.3

Total precipitation (mm) 36.6 12.8 18.1 40.3 22.7 79.8 11.6 13.2 8.4 21.7 30.6 35.8

Mean relative humidity (%) 79.5 74 68 63 56 62 46 54 57 73 77 83

Mean wind velocity (m/s) 1.6 2.93 3.35 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.9 3.6 3.3 1.32 1.62 1.5

358 Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

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Anatolia. The most important pollen types identified

were the trees Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Pinaceae,

Betula, Moraceae, Platanus, Populus, Acer and

Quercus (76% of total), as well as Poaceae (14% of

the total) and the weeds Chenopodiaceae/Amarantha-

ceae, Plantago and Rurmex (10% of total).

Months Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

WeeksAcerAesculusAilanthusAlnusApiaceaeArtemisia

Asteraceae

Betula

BoraginaceaeCarex

Carpinus

CastaneaCentaureaChenopodiaceaeCorylusCruciferae

Cup./Taxaceae

EricaceaeFabaceae

Fagus

FraxinusGaliumPoaceae

JuglanslexIrıdaceaeLabiatae

MacluraMalvaceaeMorusOleaceaeOstrya

Pinaceae

PlantagoPlatanusPopulusPrimulaQuercus

RosaceaeRumexSophora

SalixTilia

UlmusUrticaceae

>50.000

Caryophyllaceae

Humulus

Laurus

Papaver

TyphaTsuga

Fig. 2 Pollen calendar showing average weekly pollen counts recorded at Kastamonu (2006–2007 mean)

Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366 359

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In Trabzon, located in the Black Sea region of

Turkey, Ayvaz et al. (2008) showed that of the total

amount of pollen recorded in a Durham trap, 59.2%

belonged to trees and 40.8% were from herbaceous

taxa. The most common taxa recorded in Trabzon

were Corylus (17.9%), Poaceae (13.6%), Pinus (7.9%)

and Alnus (5.3%).

Guvensen and Ozturk (2003) also used a gravimet-

ric method to study atmospheric pollen in Izmir, which

is located in the western part of Turkey. The authors

found that the most dominant woody species were

Pinus, Quercus, Oleaceae and Cupressaceae/Taxaceae

and that the most dominant herbaceous species were

Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Cruciferae

and Plantago. It was also observed that fewer taxa

were recorded at high level (20 m) compared to low

level (1.60 m), 59 taxa and 50 taxa, respectively.

Erkan et al. (2010) studied atmospheric pollen

concentrations in Tekirdag, Northwest Turkey. The

authors observed pollen grains of 45 taxa, of which 25

taxa belonged to arboreal plants (*64% of total pollen

grains) and 20 taxa to non-arboreal plants (*36% of

total pollen grains). In Tekirdag, the most pollen was

recorded from April to June and the largest amounts of

pollen were from Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Pinus,

Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae Quercus

and Platanus.

Celenk et al. (2010) also examined atmospheric

pollen concentrations in north-western Turkey, in

samplers situated in the Asian and European parts of

Istanbul. According to their study, the highest amounts

of pollen grains were recorded in April, and the main

pollen types contributed more than 80% of the total

pollen sum recorded at the two pollen-monitoring

sites: Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Urticaceae, Pistacia,

Quercus, Platanus, Fraxinus and Xanthium.

In this study, six dominant taxa (Pinaceae, Cupress-

aceae, Poaceae, Quercus, Betula and Carpinus) com-

prised the majority (86.5%) of the total amount of

pollen recorded at Kastamonu. However, the domi-

nance of particular taxa can vary spatially. For

example, in previous studies carried out in Turkey,

i.e. Ankara (Inceoglu et al. 1994), Tekirdag (Erkan

et al. 2010) and Izmir (Guvensen and Ozturk 2003), the

dominant taxa were also recorded as being Pinaceae,

Cupressaceae, Poaceae and Quercus. Carpinus is also a

common element of the flora around Kastamonu,

which is reflected in the pollen counts at the site. In

addition, high atmospheric pollen concentrations of

Betula result from planting trees in parks and gardens

in the city centre (particularly B. pendula).

The pollen spectrum recorded at Kastamonu relates

well to the local flora and vegetation of the area. The

District of Kastamonu is quite heavily wooded (74% of

the area contains trees or shrubs). In this aeropalyno-

logical survey, 85.4% (90% in 2006 and 80% in 2007)

of the pollen grains identified in the atmosphere

belonged to non-herbaceous taxa (Table 2). Pollen

grains from these plants were found to make compa-

rable contributions in other studies conducted in Turkey

(Inceoglu et al. 1994; Guvensen and Ozturk 2003;

Ayvaz et al. 2008; Celenk et al. 2010; Erkan et al. 2010)

as well as other countries in the Mediterranean region

such as Greece (Gioulekas et al. 2004) and Spain

(Docampo et al. 2007). This is related to the vegetation

of Kastamonu (both natural and cultivated) and the high

pollen production rates of trees and shrubs.

Four of the six dominant taxa recorded at Kastamonu

are considered to be highly allergenic (Betula, Carpinus,

Cupressaceae and Poaceae) (Fig. 2). Previous studies

have shown that that there is a positive relationship

between allergic symptoms and atmospheric pollen

concentrations (Burge 1992). For a plant to be consid-

ered an important source of aeroallergens in a given

area, its pollen must trigger allergic reactions but it must

also release sufficient amounts of pollen into the air.

Source strength is related to the amount of pollen a plant

releases into the air (anemophilous plants generally

produce the most pollen), as well as the number of plants

present (Emberlin 1997; Frenz 2001; Mothes et al. 2004;

Skjøth et al. 2010). The results of field work showed that

the majority of plants (51%) collected from public parks

and gardens within the city were from highly allergenic

Fig. 3 Pollen from three groups presented as a percentage of

the total amount of pollen recorded during 2006–2007 at

Kastamonu. The three groups being: (1) trees; (2) grasses; (3)

weeds

360 Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

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Table 2 Annual pollen counts and percentage of pollen taxa recorded at Kastamonu (2006–2007)

Year 2006 2007 Total

Taxa Pollen count % Pollen count % Pollen count %

Trees 139,568 90.2 111,016 80.035 250,584 85.4

Acer 104 0.1 186 0.1 290 0.1

Aesculus 97 0.1 129 0.1 226 0.1

Ailanthus 86 0.1 104 0.1 190 0.1

Alnus 47 0.0 62 0.0 109 0.0

Betula 9,831 6.4 5,756 4.2 15,587 5.3

Carpinus 5,839 3.8 1,880 1.4 7,719 2.6

Castanea 313 0.2 45 0.0 358 0.1

Corylus 497 0.3 100 0.1 597 0.2

Cupressaceae/Taxaceae 34,099 22.0 26,379 19.0 60,478 20.6

Ericaceae 31 0.0 38 0.0 69 0.0

Fabaceae 368 0.2 1,023 0.7 1,391 0.5

Fagus 1,854 1.2 3,376 2.4 5,230 1.8

Fraxinus 215 0.1 393 0.3 608 0.2

Ilex 0.0 2 0.0 2 0.0

Juglans 252 0.2 1,339 1.0 1,591 0.5

Laurus 2 0.0 0.0 2 0.0

Maclura 201 0.1 101 0.1 302 0.1

Morus 401 0.3 1,099 0.8 1,500 0.5

Oleaceae 272 0.2 80 0.1 352 0.1

Ostrya 98 0.1 207 0.1 305 0.1

Pinaceae 75,346 48.7 50,400 36.3 125,746 42.9

Platanus 219 0.1 387 0.3 606 0.2

Populus 1,105 0.7 29 0.0 1,134 0.4

Quercus 6,143 4.0 10,033 7.2 16,176 5.5

Rosaceae 767 0.5 4,364 3.1 5,131 1.7

Salix 720 0.5 3,311 2.4 4,031 1.4

Sophora 0.0 2 0.0 2 0.0

Tilia 0.0 54 0.0 54 0.0

Tsuga 17 0.0 0.0 17 0.0

Ulmus 644 0.4 137 0.1 781 0.3

Grass (Poaceae) 8,335 5.4 20,096 14.5 28,431 9.7

Weeds 6,818 4.4 7,594 5.5 14,412 4.9

Apiaceae 453 0.3 138 0.1 591 0.2

Artemisia 191 0.1 829 0.6 1,020 0.3

Asteraceae 1,397 0.9 2,959 2.1 4,356 1.5

Boraginaceae 6 0.0 430 0.3 436 0.1

Carex 116 0.1 802 0.6 918 0.3

Caryophylaceae 2 0.0 0.0 2 0.0

Centaurea 4 0.0 25 0.0 29 0.0

Chenopodiaceae 3,378 2.2 1,545 1.1 4,923 1.7

Crucifera 315 0.2 112 0.1 427 0.1

Galium 0.0 2 0.0 2 0.0

Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366 361

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taxa. In comparison, only 33% of plants collected from

natural or cultivated areas surrounding the city were

considered to be highly allergenic. It can be argued that

plants growing within the city can be important sources

of allergenic pollen recorded at the trap (Bricchi et al.

2000; Skjøth et al. 2008) and shows that the public and

central municipalities could unconsciously create a high

risk for allergy sufferers.

However, the results of this study ought to be

approached with some caution. Although the urban

Fig. 4 Total weekly pollen

count data recorded at

Kastamonu (2006–2007).

Data are divided into three

groups: (1) trees; (2)

grasses; (3) weeds

Table 2 continued

Year 2006 2007 Total

Taxa Pollen count % Pollen count % Pollen count %

Iridaceae 0.0 11 0.0 11 0.0

Humulus 77 0.1 0.0 77 0.0

Lamiaceae 46 0.0 19 0.0 65 0.0

Malvaceae 0.0 11 0.0 11 0.0

Papaver 58 0.0 0.0 58 0.0

Plantago 314 0.2 325 0.2 639 0.2

Primula 0.0 2 0.0 2 0.0

Rumex 190 0.1 117 0.1 307 0.1

Typha 0.0 3 0.0 3 0.0

Urticaceae 271 0.2 264 0.2 535 0.2

Total 154,721 100.0 138,706 100.0 293,427 100.0

Bold values indicate sum of tree pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen and total pollen

362 Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

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areas of Kastamonu contained a higher percentage of

highly allergenic plants compared to the surrounding

countryside (51% compared to 33%), it should be

noted that the number of highly allergenic taxa

recorded in the city (39 taxa) was actually lower than

in rural areas (83 taxa). Of course the number of plants

identified does not directly relate to the source of

allergenic pollen. For instance, the amount of pollen

produced by different species can vary (Prieto-Baena

et al. 2003). In addition, the number of species counted

does not necessarily relate to the amount of plants

present, it could be one plant or one hundred.

Daily average pollen concentrations of the six most

frequently recorded taxa were entered into

Fig. 5 Weekly pollen

concentrations of most

important taxa belong to

trees, grasses and weeds

groups in Kastamonu

atmosphere (2006–2007)

Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366 363

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Spearman’s correlation analysis with corresponding

meteorological data (Table 3). In general, it was

shown that increases in mean daily temperatures were

related to increases in daily average pollen concen-

trations, whereas increases in rainfall and relative

humidity had an opposite effect on daily average

pollen concentrations and caused them to decrease.

Similar results can be found throughout aerobiological

literature (Schappi et al. 1998; Sanchez-Mesa et al.

2003; Smith and Emberlin 2005; Stach et al. 2008).

However, there were some exceptions to this, as it was

found that increases in mean daily temperatures

caused Pinaceae and Poaceae pollen counts to

decrease whereas increases in relative humidity

resulted in atmospheric concentrations of pollen from

these two taxa to increase. This could be related to the

climate of the region, with high temperatures causing

plants to stop flowering and precipitation and relative

humidity reaching a maximum during late spring and

early summer when Pinaceae and Poaceae plants

typically flower (Table 1; Fig. 2). It should also be

noticed that there were only a few significant

relationships with rainfall. A similar phenomenon

was also noted by Stach et al. (2008) during a study of

grass pollen counts at Poznan in Poland, where

precipitation also reaches a maximum during summer.

Daily average Poaceae pollen counts were posi-

tively correlated with wind speed, but several authors

have found an opposite relationship (i.e. significant

negative correlations between grass pollen counts and

wind speed) (Emberlin and Norris-Hill 1996; Stach

et al. 2008). This emphasises the fact that relationships

found in one place cannot always be applied to another

and highlights the need to develop site-specific

forecast models (Galan et al. 1995).

5 Conclusion

Four of the six most dominant taxa in the atmosphere

of Kastamonu are considered to be highly allergenic

(Betula, Carpinus, Cupressaceae and Poaceae). The

presence of Betula pendula in the city, which is not

part of the local flora, shows that the general public

and municipalities can unconsciously create a high

risk for allergy sufferers through urban planting.

Knowledge of airborne pollen concentrations and the

weather conditions influencing them is important for

air quality forecasters, allergists and allergy sufferers.

The pollen calendar showing mean weekly pollen

counts (2006–2007) will help health care professionals

and allergy sufferers to plan treatment and medication.

Mean daily temperature, relative humidity and wind

speed were found to significantly affect atmospheric

pollen concentrations from selected taxa, but the

relationships between pollen concentrations and mete-

orological variables can vary from between different

pollen types and from site to site, and so there is a need

for more local studies of this nature.

Acknowledgments The work was partly funded by a grant

from the Technical and Research Council of Turkey [TUBITAK,

SBAG-3084(105S051-73)] and Ankara University Office of

Scientific Research Projects (BAP-200807085002 HPD), as well

as by COST Action ES0603 (EUPOL) (http://www.cost.esf.

org/index.php?id=1080) through Short Term Scientific Mission,

reference code: COST-STSM-ES0603-6223. The results

Table 3 The results of

Spearman’s correlation

analysis between daily

average pollen counts of

selected taxa and

meteorological data

* Correlation is significant

at the 0.05 level

** Correlation is significant

at the 0.01 level

Correlations Mean daily

wind speed

Mean daily

temperature

Daily

rainfall

Mean daily relative

humidity

Betula -0.019 0.217 - 0.243* -0.144

0.876 0.065 0.039 0.223

Carpinus 0.137 0.225 -0.056 0.010

0.320 0.079 0.717 0.877

Cupressaceae 0.261** 0.376** -0.047 -0.087

0.005 0.000 0.607 0.348

Pinaceae 0.055 -0.262** 0.110 0.153*

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.161

Poaceae 0.160* -0.367** 0.127 0.207**

0.000 0.021 0.400 0.136

Quercus 0.453** 0.263* -0.346** -0.459**

0.000 0.021 0.004 0.000

364 Aerobiologia (2012) 28:355–366

123

presented here address one of the main scientific challenges

described in COST Action ES0603, specifically Work Package 1

(pollen production and release).

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